Chapter 23: An Unexpected Outcome

The next day at noon, during the break, the school posted the list, announcing the classes selected to participate in the joint New Year's arts performance among the four schools. There were seven acts in total, with Su Yuxi's piano solo listed first, and the program from Class 3-2 placed last. This caused barely a ripple at school; at the time, Cheng Xiaoyu and his group had already performed very late in the program, and since they had no instruments and didn’t perform, not many people knew about it. Everyone was busy talking about how handsome Sun Zihao was or how beautiful Ji Yunyun looked; no one gossiped about this unremarkable group lacking any gossip value.

However, Class 3-2 was in an outright uproar. Li Liwei had been smiling all morning; he’d left the previous evening after seeing Cheng Xiaoyu go on stage and then get kicked off. He had thought Cheng Xiaoyu was just making an excuse, deliberately not preparing instruments and refusing to perform. That way, even if they weren’t selected, he could claim it wasn’t because they failed, but because they hadn’t brought instruments. Li Liwei had even come up with lines the night before, thinking about how to humiliate this delusional fat kid, how to show his own magnanimity by offering pity—after all, he figured Cheng Xiaoyu would never really dare to streak as he’d bet.

But when Gu Manting entered the classroom, she brought him news that hit like a bolt from the blue: Cheng Xiaoyu’s group had been chosen.

Li Liwei doubted Gu Manting had read it right and rushed to check the bulletin board himself. Sure enough, the names of Class 3-2—Cheng Xiaoyu, Xia Sha Mo, Chen Haoran—were written there in black and white. Even if the class was written wrong, surely the names weren’t.

Feeling lost, Li Liwei ran to the student council to ask Ji Yunyun, the arts committee member in charge. Ji replied, “My aunt personally gave me the list. There’s no mistake.”

Li Liwei pressed, “Didn’t Cheng Xiaoyu and his group get kicked off stage by Ms. Ji yesterday for not bringing instruments?”

But Ji Yunyun had left after her own dance and hadn’t witnessed what happened next. She said, “I don’t really know what went on.” She was unaware of the bet between Li Liwei and Cheng Xiaoyu, and said dismissively, “Isn’t it great they got in? Who cares how it happened.”

Li Liwei ran a hand through his always perfectly groomed hair, ignored Ji Yunyun, and headed toward the sports field. For now, he didn’t dare return to class; he really didn’t want to face Cheng